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“I did a little research before I went shopping,” he said. “First of all, I was wrong when I said you’re addicted to the pills. I think you’re dependent on them and there is a difference. Second, Adrianna, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll be in very little, if any, pain once you’re off the pills. It’s common for dependents to think the pain is worse than it really is. And if you are in pain, there are ways to manage without the use of drugs.”
He held his hand out to her and pulled her into his lap from her chair. Adrianna sat with her back pressed against his chest and let Jack soothe her by kneading her shoulders.
His fingers deftly massaged, rubbing away some of her tension.
“It’s not going to be easy,” Jack continued. “While the drugs are leaving your system you are going to feel awful, for a few days or maybe even up to a few weeks. But if you’re serious about wanting to stop I can help you get through it.”
“I don’t want to go to rehab, Jack,” Adrianna stated, her shoulders tensing up again with worry.
Jack swept her hair out of the way and kissed her where her neck and shoulder met. “You won’t have to. We can do this here,” he assured her.
“You really want to do this for me?” Adrianna asked. She took a hold of his hands and guided them to wrap around her middle so that she could lean back and rest her head against his shoulder. She breathed in the warm air deeply.
“I love you, Adrianna,” Jack reassured. “Of course I want to help you.”
Adrianna didn’t know why in the hell Jack loved her, but she didn’t ask, afraid that he would wonder that himself if she did. And though she was scared, more scared than she had ever been in her entire life she proclaimed, “I want to stop. Tell me what I have to do.”
Back in Jack’s kitchen, Adrianna watched in amazement as he unloaded the grocery bags, placing each item on the counter, and explained what each one was for.
“These,” he said, pulling out three bottles, “are supplements. B6, Tyrosine, and a combination of minerals. You need to start taking them tonight. The bananas are for extra potassium which you are probably low on from the narcotics. The melatonin is to help you sleep.
“The Gatorade is to keep you hydrated because you probably aren’t going to feel like eating and in case you throw up. The Imodium is to help with that or any other symptoms of an upset stomach.”
Adrianna cringed with mortification, thinking about vomiting or having diarrhea in Jack’s presence. He went on like he didn’t even notice though, sounding very businesslike and professional.
“The Icy Hot is for muscle aches, which I will gladly massage into your naked body as often as you’d like,” he continued with a wink, “and this,” he gestured to a large box, “is the best contraption Bed, Bath, and Beyond sells that will turn my boring old bathtub into a Jacuzzi. It just blows air into the water but it’ll help with the aches, too.”
Adrianna stared at the at home detox kit Jack had amassed, speechless and touched. “I can’t believe you did all this,” she whispered. “I’ll pay you back for all of it Jack.”
With a roll of his eyes he told her, “I’ll add it to your tab.”
Her eyes misting over she looked at him lovingly and asked, “You really want to do this for me?”
“I already told you I did. Now, I’d like to do this here for two reasons. One, I’ll be able to get Kenny and Joe to run the bar for a few days but I need to be close in case of anything. Two, don’t get upset with me, but I have no idea how many pills you have hidden in your apartment and I don’t want you to be tempted to take one. Are you okay staying at my place while you get through this?”
Adrianna, a little hurt by what he said, only nodded.
“When do you want to do this?” Jack asked her.
“The sooner the better, I guess,” Adrianna said and then started to tremble again. She was terrified of what she was going to face. Tears started falling from her worried, brown eyes.
